Curriculum renewal: Exploring e-portfolios for pedagogical change in university English learning.

Abstract

In recent years, student portfolios have received attention because of their potential to close the gap between teaching and testing as well as their potential to involve students in their own learning. Student portfolios have emerged as the vehicle by which students can organize, manage, and analyze their learning; portfolio implementation matches the growth of instructional and assessment practices in higher education that are student-centered, process-oriented, performance-based, integrated, interactional and multidimensional. With technology becoming ubiquitous in education and society, electronic portfolios, or e-portfolios, have become increasingly popular. This paper reports the process and experience of a large-scale implementation with 1,300 students using e-portfolios in a professional English course designed for undergraduate second language learners targeting relevant English communication skills and knowledge for entry into the workplace in the internationally dominated local economy on graduation from university. The purpose of the presentation is to describe and illustrate e-portfolios, including its characteristics, implications, and advantages for language learners. The presentation also evaluates the effectiveness of e-portfolios in allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, critical awareness, reflective learning, self-representation and identity construction. Sample e-portfolios are demonstrated. Questionnaire and interview data were collected from students and teachers. Their learning/teaching experience is summarized. The experience in implementing an e-portfolio system is shared and some practical issues and challenges are presented. The paper concludes by reflecting on the implementation of e-portfolios on a wider scale and looking at the implications of the approach for a range of different contexts.